New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - MAURICE FLORANT ("FLORANT"), age 36, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty today, before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).

FLORANT faces up to15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The offense also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

Judge Barbier scheduled sentencing for December 5, 2024.

Court documents reveal that on September 9, 2022, Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office ("JPSO") deputies responded to a stolen vehicle alert and saw FLORANT at a gas station, seated in the stolen vehicle. When deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, FLORANT fled, triggering a high-speed and dangerous chase. FLORANT struck a JPSO police vehicle before crashing into the exterior air conditioning unit of an apartment complex. The defendant fled on foot and was eventually arrested. Deputies searched the vehicle and found two firearms; a Palmetto State Armory Model PA-15, .556 - millimeter pistol, located on the rear driver's side floorboard, and a CZ Scorpion Model EVO 3 S1, nine- millimeter pistol, located on the front passenger side floorboard.

Court documents also revealed that FLORANT had been previously convicted of Manslaughter in Orleans Parish District Criminal Court.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Miller of the Narcotics Unit is assigned the prosecution.